The Long Way Home
by Trins xxx
Summary: A 14-part story that takes place from Season 3 finale. When the girls return to The Rock for their last couple of weeks before travelling to London, they find Carter there, waiting to congratulate them and mend bridges. He's there to clear the air but is just friendship enough for him? Lauren/Carter with a large amount of Lauren-Payson friendship and Kaylie-Jordan friendship.
1. Part I

**Disclaimer****: **I sadly do not own Make It Or Break It. I certainly wish I did.

**Author's Note****: **Part of me absolutely loved Lauren and Carter. Okay, it might be a very large part of me, that also wanted to see some sort of maturity and resolution (seeing as Lauren has considerably matured, along with Payson, in the last season). So this is a 7-part mini-series, if you will, starting from the end of series finale and following the dates according to real-life schedule.

**Read and Review****: **Constructive criticism is very welcome. Please drop a line and give me your opinion.

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The Long Way Home

Part I

'We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.'

_Oscar Wilde_

July 2nd 2012

In an unusual twist, all five members and its travelling alternate of the US Women's Gymnastics team had decided to travel together to Boulder. It had sort of happened by accident. Payson, Lauren and Kaylie would always have gone back to The Rock, for their final weeks of preparation before travelling to the UK. Kaylie, with her latest, shiniest BFF in hand, Lauren had thought sardonically, had invited said latest BFF to Boulder as well, as understandably, Jordan didn't have any other place to be. Lauren had wondered if that was at least partially because Payson had chosen to stay with her instead of Kaylie but decided not to dwell on it.

It was after much nodding and pointed looks from Payson that, sighing, Lauren invited Andrea Conway to join them in Boulder, offering up her substantial home as a place of residence. Begrudgingly, Lauren could see that it would be incredibly rude and essentially ostracisation to exclude her when the rest of the team would be in Boulder and it helped that she didn't find the gymnast annoying as hell. A grateful smile and thanks later, Andrea had joined them in what became a team trip to Boulder. Lauren would later blame it on medications from her heart surgery or hypoglycaemia, maybe even a claim to a moment of insanity, but seeing little Beth Atchinson walking slowly, head down, towards her parents, Lauren had decided why the hell not on a whim. Invite the travelling alternate to the party in Boulder as well. Her home had plenty of room and things between her and Kaylie were just as murky and unresolved as ever. The more people between them the better, as far as Lauren was concerned. Little Beth had flushed red, all but squealed in excitement and bombarded her parents with pleas until they had reluctantly agreed to allow it, with the caveat that at least one parent would be joining her in a couple of days. Lauren had just looked bemused and then defensively shrugged a shoulder at Payson's all too knowing smile. She was hoping it'd be team bonding of the fun variety.

And that was how all six gymnasts had boarded the coach The Rock owned at the nearest airport in Colorado, the Tanners and Cruzs travelling behind them in cars separately.

The raised and excited voices formed a collective din as they arrived at The Rock, too late in the day to do anything but give the gymnasts new to the place a tour. The din turned into a distant buzzing as Lauren exited the coach, noticing a familiar jeep in the car park. She wasn't the only one, as Kaylie muttered a hushed 'oh my god', her new BFF instantly leaning towards her in concern. She would have scoffed at the image if her throat hadn't felt like it was sanded over and if Payson hadn't done the same towards her. Andrea, quick to notice, had tactfully guided Beth into the gym with only the one curious glance behind her as she entered it.

'Carter? What are you doing here?' Kaylie had moved almost automatically towards the jeep in question, the door having opened and its owner standing outside, casually leaning against it.

'Hi Kaylie, congratulations,' came the reply, the deep baritone making its way to Lauren. She wondered if her heart had actually physically skipped a beat or whether it was all metaphorical.

'You know I've got a boyfriend now, Carter,' Kaylie had stated, a mixture of smugness and condescension that she had been perfecting the past several years.

Lauren would have scoffed again but her lips refused to do what her brain wanted it to.

'Are they really back together? It didn't sound like it to me,' Payson had sceptically questioned in a hushed tone, careful not to let Kaylie or her seriously overprotective BFF hear it. This time, Lauren did let out a scoff of agreement, eyes glancing to her fellow blonde before reverting back to the scene unfolding before her. It might have been wishful thinking but did Carter look a little nonplussed?

'That's...great Kaylie,' he said, with a furtive glance at Lauren that she missed but Payson noticed. 'I'm happy for you,' he added with sincerity.

'Okay,' the doe-eyed brunette looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to bow out gracefully and leave in his jeep but instead, she saw him stuffing his hands in his pockets and congratulating her again distractedly before making his way towards the coach.

If Kaylie looked agape and Jordan a mixture of confusion and hostility, Payson looked defensive. It was only Lauren who managed to put on a facade of cool indifference she was far from feeling.

'Carter,' her tone was chipped as she greeted him. 'I'm sorry you didn't make the men's team.'

'It's fine. There's always next time,' he shrugged the thought away and for a moment, Lauren's confusion shone through. 'Congratulations on making the team. You deserve it.'

'Thank you,' she chose her words cautiously, wary of a Carter that seemed...friendly. For so long, there had been resentment on one side or the other, unrequited emotions and misunderstandings, acts of betrayal with repercussions neither of them had fully considered or realised, that it felt alien to be on some sort of neutral ground with him. If only she could stop her heart from hammering inside her chest or her fingers from tingling, symptoms real or phantom, she wasn't sure which.

'What do you want, Carter?' Payson interjected aggressively, scowl firmly in place as she glared at him. Lauren's lips finally found movement as they twitched upwards in response to Carter's wide-eyed, shocked face. Clearly he didn't get the memo about how close the two blondes had become.

'Yeah, you've congratulated me and Kaylie, one's due to Payson and then that should be it?' Lauren showed her solidarity more visibly, moving closer so that her shoulders brushed against Payson's.

'I deserved that,' Carter had that horrible intense look on his face again, the one that always made Lauren's knees a little weak and she automatically strengthened the frown on her face. 'I know we ended things on bad terms and things were always a little messed up between us but... I guess I just wanted to clear the air, you know? Apologise for being such an idiot-'

'More like a douchebag,' muttered Lauren, but her face was considerably softer.

'Okay, I apologise for being a douhebag,' Carter bowed his head to the little blonde, hint of a smile lurking on his face despite the insult. 'I just want you to do your best in London. I didn't want anything hanging over your head, holding you back or anything distracting you or...anything. You deserve the gold I know you're going to get.'

By the end of his speech, even Payson's stance had softened, the authenticity blatant to even her biased eyes and it hadn't gone unnoticed by her that he hadn't cleared the air with Kaylie, who was closely watching the whole thing. She wasn't sure how much the brunette could hear but the displeased expression on her face was unmistakable to everyone except for the two having the conversation, who looked like they were in the midst of an intense staring match that a five year old would've been proud of.

'So you...want to...let bygones be bygones?'

Lauren's tone was disbelieving and though he tried to hide it well, both blondes noted the hurt flash across his face briefly. 'Yeah, I just...want the best for you.'

'Oh,' Lauren appeared to digest the information for a few moments. 'Okay. So we can just be friends, maybe?' She offered a tentative smile.

Carter's was more rueful, with a hint of disappointment or nostalgia, missed by Lauren but not by Payson. 'Yeah, if that's what you'd like? We can just be friends.'

It looked like it left an awful taste in his mouth and Payson could feel a tension headache forming from all this...tension. And not even back for ten minutes at The Rock, she thought disgustedly. What was it about this place that made all this unnecessary drama unfold? To be fair, they'd had their share at the OTC but it had felt a lot less ménage a trois to her.

'Cool,' Lauren felt a smile spreading across her face, her chest feeling just a little easier to breathe. 'Well, see you later, _friend_.' She relished the chuckle he let out, choosing not to examine her feelings too closely.

She was walking towards the entrance when Carter and Payson joined her.

'Congratulations to you too, Payson. I expect a gold medal for floor around your neck,' he nodded at her, before turning to Lauren with a look he seemed to keep just for her. 'I'll see you tomorrow, _friend_. I've moved back here.' He threw a quick grin at her, eyes a little too intense, before waving goodbye to Kaylie and heading to his jeep.

'What did he want with you?' Kaylie demanded, as they reached the entrance. Payson could have banged her head against the wall at the déjà vu of it all.

'He was just congratulating us,' Lauren was careful to keep her tone even, looking briefly into Kaylie's eyes before opening the door and entering the building.

'Just congratulation you, huh? Seemed like a long conversation to do just that,' Jordan added her two pence.

'Don't stir things you don't know anything about,' Lauren spat out, lips thinned and eyes narrowed.

'I know plenty,' the dark skinned girl replied. 'Kaylie told me all about it.'

'Yeah because that's an unbiased source of information,' Lauren muttered, rolling her eyes before heading towards Andrea and Beth, both watching the proceedings with curiosity that they tried to politely minimise. 'Want us to show you our _glorious_ gym?'

'Lauren, are you really going to ruin our friendship with this stuff again?'

Before Kaylie's words had faded, Lauren had turned around heatedly, her stance very much on the offensive. '_What_ friendship, Kaylie? And how am _I_ doing anything of the kind when _you're_ the one questioning our friendship, _again_?'

There was a faint sort of ringing in her ears as Payson turned tired eyes from Kaylie to Lauren and back. God, it felt like _nothing_ had changed in the past year.

'Well, I guess you've made your decision clear,' Kaylie's lips trembled as she uttered the words morosely, resignation clearly in place.

'I haven't made any decision, Kaylie. You're the one insinuating things and seeing decisions where there aren't any.' Lauren let out a tired sigh, fully conscious of Andrea and Beth standing behind her and parents who could arrive at any time. 'I haven't done anything. Carter's the one who's come back here.'

'And I'm meant to just believe that?' The brunette scoffed, adding caustically, 'Because your track record for honesty is so great.'

'Enough,' Payson interrupted before things escalated further. 'Maybe you don't trust Lauren but I'm telling you that Carter came to congratulate us both and Lauren _didn't_ know he was going to be here.' God Lauren was rubbing off on her, with the half-truths and bending the truths, although she thought this one might have counted as an outright lie.

The silence felt like lead in the room, weighing down on everyone as they all wondered who would be the first to break it. It was Kaylie in the end. 'Okay then,' she nodded firmly. 'I believe you, _Pay_,' she emphasised.

Payson let her hug her, giving Lauren an apologetic glance over Kaylie's shoulder. 'You should apologise to Lauren, Kaylie,' she said gently. 'You totally misjudged her for no reason.'

'For no reason,' Jordan again aggressively joined the conversation. 'I'd say she had plenty of reason.'

'But you haven't been privy to their friendship the past however many years.' Four surprised faces turned towards Andrea, who had hitherto remained consciously out of the conversation. 'I'd say it's between the three of them,' she shrugged nonchalantly as Beth gaped at her in awe.

'Thank you,' Payson threw her a grateful look. 'Besides, we can't let Carter become such an issue just before Olympics. We're going to have to get used to him being around here when we train.'

'Wh-what do you mean by that?' Kaylie turned her wide-eyed panicked look onto Payson. 'He's coming back?'

Her gulp was audible to all those present and Lauren fought down a triumphant smirk. 'Or so he says,' she said nonchalantly. 'Anyway, shall we get on with the tour now?' She demanded with impatience. She turned around and after a momentary pause, Andrea and Beth followed.

'Look, Kaylie, you have to let it go. It's like you told him – you're with Austin now, aren't you? And you told me you loved him,' Payson told her softly. 'Just...let the whole thing with Carter and Lauren go.'

'It's not that easy, Pay,' she replied with a hitch in her voice.

'I never said it was easy,' she snapped back, impatience getting the better of her before she softened again. 'It's just... Lauren's let that stuff go, and it wasn't easy on her either. I let the stuff Lauren did go as well, and it wasn't easy on me either. You need to learn to let it go.' She didn't add that it was time for her to grow up, however tempting.

'Okay, okay,' She took in a deep breath. 'I can do it. It just...hurts a lot, you know. The betrayal?' Getting no response, she carried on, 'But I'll let it go. It's not like he really loved her or anything. It was just sex for him.'

Payson bit down on her tongue, eyes flashing and revealing too much of the anger she felt. Diplomatically deciding not to stir the coals for now, she made her way back to Lauren's side, breathing more easily once there. She wasn't quite sure when it happened or how, but at some point, she had become far more appreciative of Lauren's candour and, paradoxically, the her multiple layers too. Animatedly describing the balance beams in terms that sounded borderline erotic as Andrea listened with amusement and Beth with bemusement, Lauren still found the time give Payson a quizzical look. She responded with a shrug and a roll of her eyes, trying her best to mask the discomfort and mild panic she was feeling, because Lauren might have been oblivious to it, but Carter had definitely had intentions beyond congratulations and becoming _just _friends. She just had no idea what the outcome of it all would be.

Gripping her hand in a sudden show of affection, she just hoped it would all turn out for the best for Lo, because past mistakes aside, she was fast learning that there was no-one more loyal or self-sacrificing and she deserved gold medals and true love and happiness, after all that she'd been through. She just didn't know what role Carter would play in achieving all of it.


	2. Part II

The Long Way Home

Part II

'When we seek to discover the best in others, we somehow bring out the best in ourselves.'

_William Arthur Ward_

July 3rd 2012

'This is weird, right?' Beth's uncertain whisper ghosted its way to Andrea.

'Definitely weird,' Andrea muttered an agreement.

Their eyes were both trained on Jordan, who was looking at Kaylie, who was closely watching Carter, who had eyes for nobody but Lauren, who was closely observing Payson. Out of all of them, only Payson was actively doing gymnastics at the moment, practising her Double Illusion under the tutelage of Lauren.

Andrea had to admit, it was sort of entertaining watching the blondes. Payson's Double Illusion was awe-inspiring but if Lauren's grandiose gestures were anything to go by, it didn't meet her standards. Payson, the ever perfectionist, was going through the motions again and again, lips getting thinner until she finally snapped.

'Lauren, you're a crazy lunatic,' her voice bounced off the walls of the gym. 'You're like a Double Illusion Nazi, the Adolf Hitler of the gymnastics world...' The loud words and manic gesturing trailed off with an abashed look.

Kaylie had already started moving towards them, Jordan trailing behind her when Lauren spoke, her words carrying easily in the midst of the stunned silence. 'Are you done? Because I thought you wanted _perfection_, but if you're happy with something that's _fine_...' The little blonde shrugged her shoulders dismissively, turning to walk towards the beam.

'You know you're like the world's least subtle manipulator, right?' Payson looked surprisingly young for her age with the pout on her face, Andrea thought. 'Fine, tell me what I'm doing wrong.' The smile looked large enough to be almost painful on Lauren's face, and her excited squeal with the bounce in her steps made her seem so youthful that Andrea felt almost _nostalgic_. It was an interesting dynamic, theirs. It was an effortless friendship, both girls sincerely wanting the other to do the best she could. There weren't any barbed comments or snide remarks, surprising as Lauren had been nearly as infamous as Kelly Parker for them but Payson also seemed less...judgmental? They were good for each other and Andrea surprised herself for feeling a pang of envy. She wouldn't mind joining in their friendship of sorts.

'Human dominoes!' Andrea could only just about hear Beth's hushed voice. 'They're like human dominoes,' Beth answered Andrea's questioning look. 'You know, all lined up, one after another.' She paused, her face a picture of serious contemplation. 'I wonder what the equivalent of pushing the dominoes would be?'

Andrea snorted a half laughter. Jesus, she really was the grandmother of this team. She bumped hips with the younger gymnast, stretching silently before returning to running vaults with Beth.

A couple of hours later, she was more than ready for a break, as were most of the other elites. She had already started warming down when Beth's change of facial expression caused her to turn around.

'Wanna join us for lunch?'

Lauren came to a stand in front of them, hips cocked and arms folded in a manner that came across as almost intimidating. Andrea kept those thoughts to herself, replying instead with a 'sure' before both of them followed Lauren to where Payson was asking Kaylie and Jordan. As they left the gym, each of their eyes turned towards the curly-haired male working on rings, though never at the same time. And maybe the ridiculous amount of drama was starting to affect the chemistry in her brain but Andrea thought she saw his eyes focus on two specific members of her group as they left.

Lunch merely provided more fodder for speculation, and she suspected the same was true for Beth - the confused furrow between her brows made more than one appearance. Kaylie was meticulously polite to Lauren and it was disconcerting to find Lauren equally polite to her. Jordan and Payson were equally passive aggressive, even if Payson was far more entertaining to observe, and she wasn't quite sure what Beth and her were like, probably bemused.

It was after the fifth time that Jordan made a sly reference about boys and Lauren's proclivity for them that things heated up a notch. Lauren had retorted that she couldn't help it if boys were attracted to her like bees to honey.

Payson snorted. 'More like ants to a... Er...'

'Melted chocolate bar?' Beth had tried to help. They'd stared at her before both blondes had cracked up, laughing hard enough to have to clutch their sides. Beth pinked up and Andrea was about to join in their laughter when Jordan had ended it all.

'I can't believe you'd side with a slut that would choose a guy over her friends,' she sniped in a stage whisper at Payson, cutting off the good mood abruptly.

Coolly as possible, Lauren had taken a sip of her iced mineral water. 'You know, Kaylie _is_ big enough to fight her own battles,' she'd said casually, commenting on the weather to cement the impression. 'It's gorgeous weather. Do you think it'll be sunny in London? Do I need to take more than, like, three bikinis?'

'Yeah, but you know what good friends do? They stand up for their friends, especially to bullies.'

Payson had snorted at that and not made any attempt to disguise it. Lauren's eyes shifted from Kaylie to the dark skinned girl sitting next to her. 'Yeah, well, you're only about three years late for this one. Besides, Kaylie and I have discussed this a million times. I highly doubt you could come up with something original and groundbreaking that nobody else has thought about before.'

'Whatever, I can't believe you're not even apologetic about this.' She slouched further in her chair.

'I can't believe you think this is any of your business,' Payson had snapped back finally. 'And just so you know, Lauren _has_ apologised to Kaylie. She's done it loads of times and gone out of her way to prove her friendship for Kaylie. So if _Kaylie_ is still holding a grudge about that, it's time she let it go and grew up.'

'Pay,' Kaylie's eyes widened in hurt, like Bambi. 'I can't believe you'd say that.'

'I can't believe you didn't stand up for Lauren,' she retorted. 'It's not cool of you to let your latest best friend bitch at a former best friend and current teammate, especially since you wouldn't be on this team if it wasn't for Lauren.'

She stormed away, Lauren staring at her startled before following her. It was on autopilot that Andrea stood up and followed too, Beth trotting along beside her. It wasn't until they were back at the gym and stretching that it occurred to her that it was almost like choosing sides. She glanced thoughtfully at Payson rolling her eyes at a smirking Lauren and decided that she didn't really care. After all, she was staying at Lauren's house. She might not have baked her welcome cookies or braided her hair but she had included her in everything.

By the time it turned five, Andrea was exhausted and more than willing to stop for the day. Lauren and Payson weren't. Rather than starting to warm down, they had huddled together in a corner, serious expressions on their faces as they discussed something with intensity. Nodding their agreements, they headed to the balance beam, where Lauren mounted with a front tuck salto a few times before attempting to add the half twist. It was simultaneously inspirational and demoralising. Lauren was seemingly effortlessly regaining a skill that most gymnasts would dream of having and would undoubtedly be working on regaining some of the other hard elements she had been practising before her surgery. With one last glance, she left the gym with Beth to meet the younger gymnast's father for dinner.

She was massively underdressed for the type of restaurant it was, and she's pretty sure she smells of BO but her eyes widen and her heart starts hammering when she catches sight of Beth's dad. Jesus, he is _hot_. He is the delicious kind of hot that makes you think about all the naughty things you want him to do to you and the lazy smirk that plays around his lips, the sculptured air of relaxed gracelessness, the _absence_ of swagger that screams louder than any swagger...

Good god, what was Beth _thinking_ inviting her to dinner with this walking wet dream she has for a father? Beth inherited both his rich brown hair and the dark eyes, but whereas hers seemed sweet, his were _mysterious_ and _smouldering_ and oh god she is fantasising about someone's dad in front of _both _of them.

With cheeks as red as Beth's were whenever Lauren made an inappropriate comment, she sat at the table, swallowing the ludicrous amount of wholly licentious saliva that had pooled in her mouth. She forced bits of food down her throat and made conversation in form of incomprehensible mutterings that would make cavemen proud. And if her eyes glazed over with fantasies of dissipation, she tried to keep it minimal and discreet. She didn't think Mr Atchinson noticed. For all that the waitress blushed when he smiled his thanks, his eyes remained trained on a daughter that was clearly dear to his heart. And what did it say about her that she could practically feel her ovaries melting at the thought of a friend's father being a _good _father as her biological clock ticked at the old age of nineteen? She could acknowledge the irony, even if it did little to settle her hormone driven palpitations.

She was more than relieved when they finally reached Lauren's home. Beth's father, _Mr Atchinson_ (swoon), had driven them home and aside from the expensive car he had chosen to rent, the smell of his oh-so-manly cologne was absolutely intoxicating. She was very proud of herself for being absolutely not wobbly when she stepped out of the car and there wasn't the slightest hint of a stutter or giggle as she said goodbye (even if her voice _might_ have been just a little gushing, aimed at sultry). All of this pride plummeted when she entered the living room, occupied by Lauren, Payson and a video of the gymnasts at the last Olympics.

'What's with you? You're looking all hot and bothered,' Lauren had bluntly asked, eyes switching back to the TV as the heat spread to Andrea's cheeks from other parts of her body.

'No I'm not,' she forces out of her lips at the same time as Beth giggles out a 'She's got a crush on my daddy.' Apparently, that's what it takes to shock Lauren into silence. At least, she was silent she burst into giggles.

'Seriously?' She demands of Andrea, the redness of her cheeks fast spreading to her neck and everywhere else. This is what humiliation feels like, she thinks.

'Don't worry,' Beth patronisingly pats her on the back of her hands. '_Loads_ of people have crushes on my daddy,' she shrugs carelessly. 'But nobody messes with my mum.' The smile on her face is a little feral and Andrea has a whole new appreciation for a dangerous looking Beth. 'Loadsa guys have the hots for my mum too, but she says that 'a woman needs a challenge' and apparently, my dad was the only one that gave her a challenge.' She shrugs her shoulders as if this is commonplace. Thinking back to all the women eyeing up her dad, well, it clearly was commonplace for her. It doesn't do much to stop Andrew wanting to melt into a puddle and slip through the cracks on the floor.

'I like your mum; she sounds totally kickass,' Lauren breaks Andrea's suicide-wishing thoughts. 'Was he really that hot?'

Andrea looked at her for a moment, seeing curiosity but none of the malice she had expected. She sighs and decides that, what the hell. She's humiliated anyway. What's a little more? 'He is so ridiculously hot, it should be illegal.'

Beth groans, Payson sniggers, and Lauren squeals excitedly, wanting details and the next hour passes away in singing ode of Beth's father in symphony with her disgusted sounds and by the end of the hour, there's no way those four girls wouldn't call each other friends.

Andrea goes to bed that night, feeling thoroughly humiliated but glad that it was shared around. Payson just mentioned Sasha and groaned, her face flushing red. Lauren admitted to arriving at a Pizza Joint in lingerie and a raincoat, and requested to take the trash out. Beth admitted to a crush on one of the junior attorneys working for her parents. Her parents sound like a fairytale – leading a firm with their names on it, mum totally gorgeous and liberal as hell ('and _crushingly_ condescending if you do something stupid,' Beth had said feelingly) and dad totally corporate and right wing and _lethal_ in the courts. And apparently he doesn't have eyes for anyone but Beth's mum. ('You should see the way he stares at her,' Beth had shuddered. 'You can actually see him stripping her with his eyes and she just tells him to focus on work, without even looking at him.' Beth gagged, making a face.)

He's totally out of her league, Andrea can completely appreciate that. There's no way she would be coherent or calm if he looked at her like that, and her parents do seem like they're in perfect harmony most of the time. It doesn't stop her fantasizing, even when she's trying to imagine her bars routine and the next morning, she's feeling pretty much the same. Lauren makes a few pointed comments, but eases the sting by bumping hips with her in a friendly way. The most key development, though? She asks for Andrea's help with her own bars routine. It's not enough to put a very sexy Mr Atchinson out of Andrea's mind completely, but it is enough to get her focused back on gymnastics. Maybe a gold medal would catch his eyes?

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Disclaimer: In case you can't tell, I don't own Make it or break it.

Author's Note: So this chapter sort of ran away with me. I had the first scene written in my head for absolute ages (before I'd even finished the first chapter), and then once I was in Andrea's mindset, it was just so much fun to write from her point of view – the point of view of someone who's familiar with the characters but not involved in any of their drama. I know there wasn't much Carter in this chapter but he will definitely be playing a more prominent role in the next one. And there'll be demonstrations, altercations and tears next chapter for sure.

Also, for those of you who watch The Good Wife, Mr and Mrs Atchinson are totally based on Diane Lockhart and Will Gardner. It's my way of mourning 1/3 of the reason I watched the show. They won't play a huge role but hopefully they will provide some comic relief on the sides.

A huge thank you to the two guests and J who reviewed. Austin will be making an appearance but as for his relationship with Kaylie? They both need to work on it. An equally huge thank you to aloha4life for favouriting this story and putting it on alert, and for KillianJonesxoxo, moviesmadewithlove and wee kori L for putting the story on alert.

I hope everyone enjoys the chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. And hopefully it helps to establish Andrea's and Beth's characters a bit more.


	3. Part III

**Disclaimer****: **I don't own Make It Or Break It.

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The Long Way Home

Part III

'How do you know you're going to do something, until you do it?'

_J. D. Salinger_

July 4th 2012

The energy, the _buzz_, was flowing through her, setting her nerves on edge as she propelled herself from the ground using her feet, again and again, twisting her body this way and that, and when she ended her tumble with only a step back for balance, her widening grin was entirely unforced and genuine in nature.

'Wow,' Payson's voice caused Beth's little bubble of excitement to stutter. Wow? _Wow_ was a compliment but Payson's wow had sounded dazed and that made Beth stomach clench tightly with uncertainty. What did she do wrong? The step back was a minor mistake that she was already setting on improving but what did she need to do to make Payson go from wow to _wow_? Her thoughts must have shown on her face because Payson was suddenly verbose, words tripping after one another.

'No, it was really good, you did really well. You have,' and here, Payson paused as Beth watched her closely, dissecting every word and inflexion and emotion that passed across the other blonde's face. 'You have a _lot_ of energy,' she finished lamely as Beth's confusion created a burrow across her brow.

'Like she's been doing coke,' Lauren's voice interrupted them and Beth had suddenly grinned again, bright and cheerful and wide across her face because Lauren was nothing if not entertaining.

'_Lauren_,' Payson now sounded part shocked and part aggravated but the affection was blatant despite it.

'What?' Lauren turned guileless eyes on her. 'I meant _coca cola_ coke, not cocaine. Although cocaine would probably make her hyper too,' she paused to flash a smile at Beth as Andrea chuckled behind her. 'Don't worry, you're just making Payson feel old with all your youthful energy,' Lauren's smile held a wicked edge as Beth giggled.

'It's not just Payson, you make me feel old too,' Andrea told her as she walked past them, heading to the area that essentially amounted to a kitchen mixed with a common room and lounge for the gymnasts. 'Lunch?'

'Sure,' Beth chirped cheerfully, trotting after Andrea as Payson continued to grumble and remonstrate with Lauren behind her. They entered the room to find Kaylie and Jordan huddled together on one end of a couch, already eating, and the silence that followed had all of Beth's little hairs rising with discomfort. They were both standing uncertainly in the doorway, memories of the previous lunch too fresh to be anything but horribly uncomfortable. Unsurprisingly, it was Lauren who shoved past them, loudly bemoaning her hunger and simultaneously breaking the awkward silence and magnifying the tension tenfold. The other girls followed her lead without any conscious decision, settling themselves in the two single-seat sofas and the remaining three-seat couch after grabbing their food from the fridge. Beth's eyes grew cartoonishly when she saw the size of Lauren's container of food with enough for two. She would have assumed that Payson would be sharing if the taller blonde hadn't held her own container in her hands. She'd just about managed to stop herself from letting words slip through – as friendly as Lauren seemed now, she could be just as biting and Beth had no desire to get on the wrong side of the girl she was staying with.

'Your bars are coming along nicely,' Kaylie's voice was cautious in its tentative kindness as she looked at Lauren. She immediately flushed when she found all eyes on her.

'Thanks, your vaults are incredible. It's annoying how you make it look so easy,' Lauren's smile was equally tentative but Beth felt that it was still a marked improvement from the previous day.

'So what are you guys doing tonight?' Kaylie again breached the silence had expanded, filling the room with its oppressive nature.

'Oh _definitely _having dinner with Beth's dad,' Lauren had said promptly, her smile wicked and eyes mischievous as Andrea choked on her mouthful and Beth couldn't stop the laughter bubbling out of her, even as she tried to choke it in. Ignoring Payson's bemoaning '_Lauren_', the blonde had continued unfazed, 'You're more than welcome to join us. I've been told it's _highly_ recommended,' she'd finished suggestively, a smirk curling her lips upwards.

Jordan had scowled and snorted, hunching herself further down in the couch as Kaylie had looked perplexed and utterly unsure, so Beth threw herself into the conversation. 'Enjoy it while you can; he's leaving tomorrow morning and mom will be joining me.' Widening her eyes the way she'd seen Lauren do, she said, with faux innocence, 'I though it would be more beneficial for the team, so we don't have any distractions or anything.'

Beth flushed with pleasure as Lauren had outright snorted with laughter, Payson reluctantly joining in and Andrea had muttered 'traitor' with no real venom. Kaylie clearly remained undecided, glancing uncertainly between the four girls with a questioning look.

'How surprising to find you obsessed with another guy,' Jordan had muttered loud enough to be heard, poking aggressively at her lunch with a fork. Before Lauren (or more likely Payson) could retort, there had been another interruption to the conversation, a blessing and a curse in the form of the tall gymnast responsible for the divisions in the ranks of their team.

'So half of that is for me, right?' Carter asked as he entered the room, tension once again filling the room like smog, smothering all in its presence.

'Get your own food,' Lauren snapped back after a pause, possessively clutching the container to her chest and Beth had giggled again, letting worries over the Olympics seep away for the moment.

'Are you sure you should be eating so much, Lo? You know being bulimic is bad for you and you don't want to give yourself a disadvantage right now,' Beth's mouth fell unabashedly open at Kaylie's statement, her eyes staring at the little brunette. She couldn't pinpoint why but even though Kaylie's voice was anything but antagonistic, it rubbed Beth the wrong way and she couldn't quite rid herself of the feeling that it wasn't entirely well intentioned on her part.

'Well, you would be the lead on eating disorders,' Lauren snapped back predictably and Beth settled back against her single-seat sofa, only partially to get comfortable.

'Lo?' Kaylie had fixed her with her best doe impression, and Beth wondered fleetingly if she was feigning the hurt look or whether she truly was oblivious to the effect her words would have.

'Lo, do you mind if Heather comes over sometime?' Before things could escalate further, Payson again added a damper. 'She's asking if she could pop over for dinner or after dinner. Maybe tomorrow night?'

Lauren's scowl lightened but it was Kaylie whose visage brightened the most. 'If Lauren's busy, you both could always come to mine. We could have a sleepover.'

Beth felt only _mildly _irritated at being complete ignored but she still bit back an annoyed sigh, glancing curiously at Lauren. It was through clenched teeth that Lauren spoke, eyes flashing dangerously and hands clenching a fork far too tightly. 'That's okay. Since everyone's at mine,' she drawled. 'Why don't we have the get-together at mine tomorrow night? I'll be practising late but I'll be done by eight.'

Their eyes met limply, a stalemate waiting to be violently disrupted but once again, Payson did her best parley. 'Okay, it's sorted. I'll tell Heather to come to yours around half eight then.'

The lunch continued with forced politeness, barbed comments, tension rising and defusing in fascinating ebbs, and Beth had never had a lunch more entertaining, if anxiety inducing. It was intriguing to watch the only male gymnast in the room. He didn't say another word but his influence was exponentially greater than his physical or verbal presence would implicate, and Beth wondered, hardly for the first time, what had happened between all of them. It was obvious enough that he'd had a thing for Kaylie, although neither Andrea nor she had been able to conclude whether they had actually dated or not. Equally clearly, he must have had some sort of a thing with Lauren (and from what little they knew of Lauren, there _must_ have been something physical between them). What neither of the girls could gather was why Lauren was expected to apologise to Kaylie, why Kaylie cared about Carter at all when the whole world knew she was dating Austin, and why Carter stared at Lauren as if he was working on boring a hole through her head with his eyes, a second at a time. Either way, it was far more entertaining than Beth's old gym had been and whilst she was enjoying every second of the real life drama unfolding in front of her, it was still with relief that she saw Jordan and Kaylie leave the room, both glancing back at a seemingly indifferent Carter.

'Thank god they've gone,' Beth uttered feelingly without thinking, flushing red as soon as she realised she'd spoken out loud. She felt marginally better when Andrea, sitting beside her, agreed.

'So who's Heather?' Andrea inquired with a quirked eyebrow.

'Oh, she's a friend of mine. I went to high school with her when, you know…' Payson trailed off uncertainly before continuing in a hard voice. 'When I'd broken my back and all that.'

'She's like a hyperactive bunny on sugar,' Lauren butted in with her usual way with words.

'Didn't you used to call her Jack?' The conversation lulled into quiet as four pairs of eyes stared at Carter after he spoke.

'_Jackie_, I used to call her Jackie,' Lauren said loftily. 'I'd never imply she was a guy.'

'Jackie?' Andrea questioned.

'As in Jack of all trades,' Lauren grinned but for the first time, Payson's warning '_Lo_' lacked its usual warmth and her displeasure was spread across her face for all to see.

'Yeah, but you also used to say she was Master of Most and Destroyer of Apathy,' Carter ended in a chuckle that seemed to rumble, its deep notes sending Beth's flush from her face to her neck, and oh boy, it was _such_ a bad idea to get a crush on Lauren's ex.

'Come on, Pay, you know it's true. You're honestly telling me she'd ever take no for an answer?' Lauren wheedled good-naturedly before diving into the plans for the next evening. 'Definitely chick flicks, like either the really, really good kind or the terrible kind. And facemasks.'

'And a pillow fight?' Carter queried.

'Only if you share the profits from selling it online,' Lauren threw him a saucy smirk and Beth found herself giggling again. Oh, she was quickly falling in love, but she could hardly tell whether it was with Carter or with Lauren or the relationship they had with each other. It would be nice, she thought wistfully, to have a guy who looked at her like that.

She pushed the thoughts away, instead jumping into the fray, bouncing ideas between the four girls ranging from what to eat, what to drink ('diet soda and wishful thinking' courtesy of Lauren), and eventually delving into what to wear. The four girls had finished their lunches and extended their lunch break fifteen minutes longer than usual already when they began to move towards the door.

'You know you're invited, right?' Lauren volleyed over her shoulder at Carter, Payson looking resigned rather than surprised. 'And invite Razor too,' she put a wink to good effect before sauntering back onto the mats.

'You so can't complain about my crush on your dad now,' Andrea's voice, quiet but clear, reached her and Beth turned her gaze. 'I've got eyes,' she added pointedly but Beth continued to look at her in puzzlement.

'Carter,' she finally groaned. 'You have a crush on Carter,' she said and it sounded almost accusatory but her lips twitched upwards and gave it away. She instead patted Beth over her head. 'And trust me, that ménage a trois is bad enough. It's almost like a syzygy,' she looked thoughtfully between a focused Lauren working on her floor routine and a Kaylie that was shooting daggers at Carter going through his Rings routine.

'Either way,' she turned her gaze back on Beth and Beth made sure to scowl at her. 'There's enough of a tangle without you joining it. We'll see what this Razor is like – the name definitely has potential.'

'I thought we were meant to be getting ready for Olympics,' Beth groused after her.

'Doesn't mean we can't have a bit of fun too,' Andrea's smile held an uncanny resemblance to Lauren's smirk and Beth shuddered at the idea before joining her by the vaults.

Her muscles as screaming by the time they're done by seven, but Lauren and Payson are still going strong, having moved from floor to beam now. With half an hour still to go before they head home for a shower and change, Beth has settled herself on the floor, warming down. Her eyes remain trained on the two blondes on the beam, Andrea doing the same beside her.

'Gotta respect her,' Beth doesn't do more than hum an agreement. It had never really surprised her – for all of Lauren's reputation off the mats, she had always scored consistently in the top five _on_ the mats for the past half decade. It was easy to overlook with her constant drama but she was an excellent gymnast and one of the best hopes for a medal. Or she had been, before the surgery. Watching her slowly regaining her skills, Beth is convinced she will medal on beam, and definitely help with a team gold. It's just a matter of what the end result will be – the entire time in the OTC, Beth had been focussed solely on getting selected, focusing on herself, and so she had never known what exactly Lauren had been building towards on beam. Watching her particular brand of confidence, Beth thought it would be arresting all the same.

Several hours later, blearily blinking eyes that refused to stay open without resistance, Beth found herself crushed against her dad.

'I love you,' the words were fierce. 'And I know you're going to be spectacular in London. And if _any_ of those girls even look at you wrong, I want you to pick up the phone immediately, and tell your mother,' his tone lightened in the end. 'Because you know she's far more terrifying that I'll ever be.' He kissed the top of her head again and again and Beth clung to him tightly, throat suddenly constricted and eyes watery. She's still sniffling when she entered Lauren's house, having finished her goodbyes to her father. Her look was challenging as she looked at the girls but none of them seem bothered except Lauren, and Lauren looks too understanding for Beth to _not_ be freaked out.

'You'll see him soon,' Lauren said, and her voice is bizarrely lacking in any mockery and there's something there that she can't interpret. It sounds alien to Beth's ears. 'He seems really nice.'

It's only when her lids had drooped and she had snuggled into her blankets that it occurred to her. Was that _envy_ in Lauren's voice? She doesn't have time for thoughts before sleep overtakes her, and anyway, the pseudo-party with Heather is a much more interesting subject to ponder.

* * *

**Author's Note****: **I apologise to all those waiting for an update, in particular AllieCat103. Unfortunately, real life has a way of snowballing but _fortunately_, it's settling finally so that I have a chance of getting back to this. Needless to say, this story is still very much in progress with a full fourteen chapter plan. (Three down, eleven to go...)

**Thank You's**

**Thank you** to **xXxvampgirlxXx**, **Guest 1**, **Guest 2**, **J **and **Guest 3** for their reviews. Each are treasures and work the way an energy bar would, in terms of motivation to write.

**Thank you** to **Lottie leddo**, **aloha4life**, **anonymous deleted**, **burningbridges42** and **sakura2113** for adding the story to their favourites; I hope you continue to enjoy it.

**Thank you** to **Alto2**, **Blunt Brunette**, **KillianJonesxoxo**, **Lottie ledo**, **aloha4life**, **anonymous deleted**, **burningbridges42**, **gossipgirl1996**, **moviesmadewithlove**, **wee kori L **and **xXxvampgirlxXx** for following this story. I hope you've stuck with it and enjoy the latest instalment. The next one will have a lot more Carter in it.

I hope all of you enjoy it and drop me a line to tell me why you loved or hated it!


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